Minnesota woman heading cottonwood restoration

ST. PAUL – Although many people are bothered by messy cottonwood trees, one Minnesota woman would like to see more of them.

Maria DeLaundreau initiated a summer cottonwood planting project to help the environment, Minnesota Public Radio News reported. She hopes her efforts will reinvigorate the young cottonwood tree population in the Twin Cities.

A few years ago, a National Park Service survey found there weren’t any cottonwoods smaller than 6 inches in diameter along the 72-mile Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, spanning from Dayton to Hastings. The findings were concerning because cottonwoods are vital to the health of the floodplain forests. They provide habitat for eagles and shade for other tree species.

DeLaundreau leads groups of volunteers on planting missions. They also conduct experiments to figure out how they can help young cottonwoods sprout.

On a recent visit to Lilydale Park, the team plotted their planting area, counted seeds, pounded dormant cottonwood branches and placed the seedlings in the sandy soil.

“It’ll be interesting to come back in two years and five years and see, did the seedlings take off? Did the seeds take off? Do we need to do anything else to support their growth?” said volunteer Jeanne LaBore of St. Paul.

Although it’s unclear why the young trees are struggling, DeLaundreau said climate change, the river’s lock-and-dam system and deer were likely the most to blame.

Claudia Nanninga, a visiting research associate in forest resources at the University of Minnesota, said cottonwood regeneration is a problem in the entire northern Great Plains.

“Many of the cottonwoods we’re looking at right now, these majestic, beautiful cottonwoods, are really getting to the end of their lifespan,” she said. That means the view “of the floodplain forest that we all get to enjoy when we’re out on the Mississippi River is in jeopardy.”